END OF THE LINE
A Short film directed by Jessica Sanders Based on a story by Aimee Bender Staring Simon Helberg & Brett Gelman Refinery29 & TNT’s Shatterbox Anthology Film Series RT: 14 minutes
Official Selection: SUNDANCE FILM FESTIVAL 2018
PRESS CONTACT: Suzy Berkowitz – REFINERY29 212-966-3112 office, [email protected] 225 Broadway, Floor 23 New York, NY 10007
FILMAKERS:
Refinery29 & TNT present END OF THE LINE A film by Jessica Sanders
Staring: Simon Helberg Brett Gelman Vivian Bang Kate Micucci
Directed by Jessica Sanders Based on a Story by Aimee Bender Screenplay by Joanne Giger Produced by Jessica Sanders & Louise Shore Production Designer Justin Trask Cinematographer Brett Pawlak Visual Effects Eva Flodstrom Editors Claudia Castello & Stephen Berger Costume Designer Shirley Kurata Re-recording Mixer Elmo Webber Composer Pedro Bromfman Executive Producers Jeffrey Pechter, John Jencks, Adam & Steve Gunther, Preston Lee, Amy Emmerich, Shannon Gibson, Stone Roberts
An Altina Films production
14 MINUTES USA, 2018 IN ENGLISH 5.1 Dolby Digital 1:85
VISIT Website: www.endofthelineshortfilm.com Instagram: #endofthelineshortfilm Facebook: Endofthelineshortfilm
LOGLINE: A lonely man goes to the pet store and buys a tiny man in a cage.
ABOUT THE FILM
END OF THE LINE is a short film directed by Jessica Sanders based on acclaimed writer Aimee Bender's surrealist short story about a lonely man who goes to the pet store and buys a tiny man in a cage. The story explores themes of power and the abuse of power in a highly creative and unusual way. Starring Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things, Lemon).
END OF THE LINE is part of Refinery29 & TNT's award-winning Shatterbox Anthology, a short film series dedicated to supporting the voices of female filmmakers.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Jessica Sanders is an Academy Award-nominated, Sundance and Cannes winning filmmaker and commercial director. Steve Jobs hand picked Jessica to direct Apple's iPad launch spot. Her Sony “Make Believe” film won the prestigious Young Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival. Jessica directed, produced and wrote AFTER INNOCENCE, a feature documentary film about innocent men wrongfully convicted of crimes, cleared by DNA evidence and their struggle to reenter society after spending decades in prison. The film premiered at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Special Jury Prize. Jessica's next feature documentary MARCH OF THE LIVING, filmed in Brazil, Germany, Poland, Israel and the US followed teens and Holocaust survivors traveling to the sites of the Holocaust in Poland in a journey of remembrance. Produced by Brazil's biggest production company, Conspiracao Films and Filmland.
Jessica is directing PICKING COTTON, a narrative scripted feature based on the best-selling book by Jennifer Thompson, Ronald Cotton and Erin Torneo. She was awarded the Sloan Science Foundation grant at the Tribeca Film Festival and the Discovery Award at Los Cabos Film Festival to develop the film. The movie is based on a story in her Sundance-winning film AFTER INNOCENCE about the vicious rape of Jennifer Thompson, a white college student by a black man, who she identified as Ronald Cotton. Ronald spent 11 years in prison before he was declared innocent after DNA testing and was released from prison. The movie’s story is about forgiveness as Jennifer and Ronald forge a deep friendship and together are activists for criminal justice reform.
Jessica’s comedic work is reflected in BUNION, a short romantic comedy she directed with Alia Shawkat (Search Party), Michaela Watkins (Casual) and Avi Rothman. Film Critic Elvis Mitchell curated it for LACMA’s Young Diretor Series. Jessica also directed the ALMOST ASIAN web-series created by Katie Malia and she is directing the improvised comedy feature I WANT TO FEEL FUN with comedian Little Esther (Alone Together), Simon Rex, Avi Rothman and others.
Her work can be seen at www.jessicasandersfilm.com
DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT - JESSICA SANDERS
I have always loved Aimee Bender’s surreal and unusual stories. Her twisted tale about power, END OF THE LINE from her short story collection WILLFUL CREATURES has stayed with me since I read it in 2005. The story of a man who goes to the pet store to purchase a tiny man in a cage explores social class, desire and power. It’s dark, funny, sad, scary and exhilarating. As a director, I love playing with touches of surrealism from my first short film, the award-winning LOS ANGELS about a girl born with a birthmark in the likeness of the Great Wall of China on her stomach. END OF THE LINE explores themes I’ve longtime been interested in, power and it’s abuse, but explored in a highly unusual and creative way.
I enjoy films that explore the surrealism grounded in the natural world from ETERNAL SUNSHINE OF THE SPOTLESS MIND, BEING JOHN MALKOVITCH to the giant vagina scene in Pedro Almodovar’s TALK TO HER. As a director I was excited to make a film that would challenge myself visually, with large art builds (we built a 25ft cage and a 30 ft penis) and Visual Effects.
I collaborated with the most incredible creative team of artists, working closely with production designer Justin Trask (Apple), Visual Effects Supervisor Eva Flodstrom (Star Wars, Star Trek), Cinematographer Brett Pawlak (Glass Castle, Short Term 12), Costume Designer Shirley Kurata (Rodarte), Editors Claudia Castello (Creed, Fruitvale Station) and Stephen Berger (I’m Here), Screenwriter Joanne Giger (Mes Copines) and producer Louise Shore (Unlovable). Actors Simon Helberg (Big Bang Theory, Florence Foster Jenkins) and Brett Gelman (Stranger Things, Lemon) brought so much humanity and emotion to Little Man and Big Man.
The film could not have been made without the support of Refinery29 and TNT’s Shatterbox film series to support female filmmakers. Making this film has been a creative dream come true.
REFINERY29 & TNT'S SHATTERBOX ANTHOLOGY FILM SERIES
END OF THE LINE is part of Refinery29 & TNT's Award-winning Shatterbox Anthology, a short film series dedicated to supporting the voices of female filmmakers. The series has become known for providing female filmmakers the opportunity to bring their directorial visions to life. Both new and veteran filmmakers are providing audiences with creative storytelling that tackles gender, sexuality and power, all under the umbrella of the female experience in this world.
CAST
SIMON HELBERG Simon Helberg is best known for portraying “Howard Wolowitz” in CBS’ award- winning smash hit THE BIG BANG THEORY. He was also nominated for a Golden Globe for his performance opposite Meryl Streep and Hugh Grant in Stephen Frears’ feature film Florence Foster Jenkins for Paramount. Helberg’s company Wildline Entertainment recently sold the half hour CIA workplace comedy Need to Know to CBS. Previously, Helberg wrote and co-directed the feature We’ll Never Have Paris. The film starred Helberg, Melanie Lynskey, Alfred Molina and Zachary Quinto and premiered at the 2014 SXSW Film Festival, where it sold to MGM.
BRETT GELMAN Brett Gelman just completed a run in the titular role of TARTUFFE at the Huntington Theater Company for which he received rave reviews. His most recent film, “Lemon,” which he stars in and co-wrote with director Janicza Bravo, premiered to rave reviews at last year's Sundance Film Festival. The film was also the opening night film for the 2017 International Film Festival - Rotterdam with the high praise continuing through its screenings at the SXSW Film Festival. Brett is currently guest starring on Netflix’s award-winning series, “Stranger Things” and can also be seen as the brother-in-law on Amazon’s smash hit, “Fleabag.” Other recent projects include his return as ‘Dr. Greg’ on the new season of Judd Apatow’s critically acclaimed series, “Love,” and the release of his third comedy special for Adult Swim, “Brett Gelman’s Dinner in America." He can also be seen in the return of David Lynch’s hit show, “Twin Peaks.”
VIVIAN BANG Vivian Bang is the co-creator, co-producer & star of the feature: “White Rabbit” which will premiere at Sundance Film Festival 2018. She was a series regular on TBS sit-com “Sullivan and Son,” for 3 Seasons & currently plays ‘Sun’, a North Korean building maintenance manager opposite Peter Stormare and Keanu Reeves on PopTV & Viaplay series: “Swedish Dicks.”
Some of her best known works are her supporting role in Jim Carrey’s “Yes Man”, lead in “Boy Toy”, “Robot Stories”, “Little Black Book”, “Henry Fool”, voice work on “Memoirs of A Geisha”, and the Oscar-nominated short “Our Time Is Up.” Bang also recurred on ABC’s: “Better Off Ted,” as well as guested on TV series: “Get Shorty”, “Famous In Love”, “AtoZ”, “Kath & Kim”, “Numb3rs,” “Monk”, “Becker”, “The Corner”, “House,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Sex and the City.”NYU Tisch Graduate, Vivian was ‘Audrey’ in one of MTV’s first web series “Status Updates” available on Hulu, Amazon, iTunes, as well as Nina in web-series “MYTHOMANIA”, about the life of struggling comic book artists.
KATE MICCUCI Kate Micucci recently appeared in THE LITTLE HOURS opposite Aubrey Plaza and John C Reilly, which premiered at Sundance. Also Mike Birbiglia’s DON’T THINK TWICE starring opposite Keegan Michael Key and Gillian Jacobs, which premiered at SXSW, Joe Swanberg’s anthology EASY for Netflix starring opposite Malin Ackerman and Orlando Bloom. Kate is co- creator and co-star of the group GARFUNKEL AND OATES who were named as one of Variety’s comics to watch in 2010. Television credits include recurring roles on the television shows: BIG BANG THEORY, RAISING HOPE, THE GUEST BOOK, ANOTHER PERIOD, BORED TO DEATH, ‘TIL DEATH and SCRUBS. Kate is also the voice of Velma on Scooby Doo and Webby on Disney’s DuckTales.
ABOUT THE TEAM
Based on a story by - AIMEE BENDER
Aimee Bender is the author of five books: The Girl in the Flammable Skirt (1998) which was a NY Times Notable Book, An Invisible Sign of My Own (2000) which was an L.A. Times pick of the year, Willful Creatures (2005) which was nominated by The Believer as one of the best books of the year, The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake (2010) which recently won the SCIBA award for best fiction, and an Alex Award, and The Color Master, a NY Times Notable book for 2013.
Her short fiction has been published in Granta, GQ, Harper’s, Tin House, McSweeney’s, The Paris Review, and many more places, as well as heard on PRI’s “This American Life”and “Selected Shorts”. She has received two Pushcart prizes, was nominated for the TipTree award, and the Shirley Jackson short story award. Her fiction has been translated into sixteen languages. She lives in Los Angeles, where she teaches creative writing at USC.
Screenwriter - JOANNE GIGER
Joanne Giger is a film and television screenwriter who works in Europe and in Los Angeles. Her feature film MES COPINES, starred Cannes Palme d’Or winner Léa Seydoux, Spanish Goya nominee Rossy De Palma, and French César nominee Soko. Released by Pathé, the film was selected for the 2007 French Film Festival Budapest. Her next feature, the documentary LA VIE EN DEUX, co-written with filmmaker Fred Ballif, was selected at the 2009 Visions du Réel Film Festival in Geneva. Ms. Giger collaborated with director Mathieu Urfer on the romantic comedy PAUSE, which premiered on the Piazza Grande at the 2014 Locarno International Film Festival. The film was produced by César nominees Thierry Spicher, Elena Tatti and Elodie Brunner of Box Productions for whom she has since worked on various films such as LA VALLEE DU SEL, a documentary by director Christophe M. Saber selected by the 2016 Toronto Hot Docs Festival, WILD CATS, a dark comedy currently in post-production, as well as LE MILIEU DE L'HORIZON by 2014 Medicis prize contender Roland Buti which she has adapted for the screen. Currently in pre-production, the film will star Laetitia Casta, Clémence Poésy and Jalil Lespert.
Ms. Giger studied Philosophy at the University of Neuchâtel and earned a bachelor of Fine Art from École Supérieure de Réalisation Audiovisuelle in Paris.
Producer - LOUISE SHORE
Louise Shore is an Irish film and TV producer, based in Los Angeles. Louise co- produced indie feature film ‘UNLOVABLE’, starring John Hawkes and Melissa Leo, and produced ‘ST.PATRICK’S DAY’ which premiered at the 2016 Tribeca Film Festival.
In recent years Louise has line produced various TV series for US networks, including TNT and YouTube Red Originals.
Louise began her career in Ireland, working on a range of International TV co- productions such as Showtime's 'PENNY DREADFUL', History Channel's 'VIKINGS', CW's 'REIGN', CBS's 'THE DOVEKEEPERS' and feature films 'CALVARY' and 'LOVE, ROSIE'.
Director of Photography - BRETT PAWLAK
Cinematographer Brett Pawlak, who most is most notable for his work on the award winning Short Term 12 (2013), which opened to widespread critical acclaim at Austins South by Southwest Film Festival, winning Grand Jury Narrative Feature, and Narrative Audience Award.
Pawlak has acted as cinematographer on Sundance Films including “I am Not a Hipster”, “Hellion”, as well as the Sundance Award winning short film “Short Term 12”, which served as the basis for the feature length adaptation. Pawlak’s diverse range of films include “The Meddler” starring Susan Sarandon, “All We Had” Katie Holmes directorial debut, which premiered at Tribeca, and also lensed the pilot episode of the NBC show “This Is Us”.
Most recent credits include “The Glass Castle, starring Woody Harrelson, and Brie Larson, and “Unicorn Store” directed and starring Brie Larson.
Visual Effects Supervisor - EVA FLODSTROM
Eva is a Visual Effects Supervisor, Artist, and Filmmaker with 10+ years experience working in Film and TV. She VFX-supervised the feature films 'Play the Devil' and 'Rain', which premiered at TIFF, campaigns for ABC, FX, Pepsi, Narciso Rodriguez, and a music video for Justin Timberlake. From 2015-2016, Eva worked at JJ Abram's company 'Bad Robot' on films such as 'Star Wars: The Force Awakens', 'Star Trek Beyond', and '10 Cloverfield Lane'. She's also worked as a lead on campaigns for Apple, Honda, and Pepsi. Eva was recently commissioned to create a film for the designer Electric Feathers and Vogue. Her short 'The Tides' won an Audience Award at Slamdance. Eva majored in Art and Biology at Williams College.
Production Designer – JUSTIN TRASK
Justin began his design career as an industrial designer, designing and building custom furniture. Most notably was his work displayed at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile di Milano (Milan Furniture Fair). This eventually led him to Alaska where he was part of a R & D team that developed advance composite shelters for military solutions, utilizing his. His knowledge of 3d modeling and component design in Solidworks was instrumental to the structural engineers to run finite element analysis on the projects. Justin parlayed his real world design and fabrication skills into the film industry, approaching projects in ways that hadn’t been done before. Because of this he was able to rapidly make a name for himself as a commercial production designer, designing many Super Bowl Ad’s at a very young age. For over 10 years he’s designed for Apple, Microsoft, Ford, ESPN & many more. He regularly works alongside the industries top cinematographers, collaborating with Robert Richardson, Claudio Miranda, Jeff Cronenweth, Thomas Sigel, and Dan Mindel. Now that he has 100’s of national Ad’s under his belt, he is eagerly venturing into the world of movies, with his first film that he’s designed getting into Sundance.
Composer - PEDRO BROMFAN
Born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, film composer Pedro Bromfman has been writing, playing and producing “Music For Images” for over fifteen years. A Cum Laude Graduate of Berklee College of Music, Bromfman has composed scores for narrative films (RoboCop, Thumper, Elite Squad I & II), documentaries (Deep Web, March of The Living, Sister Dorothy, G-Dog), Television (Narcos, Chain of Command, Story of Us With Morgan Freeman) and video games (Max Payne 3).
Editor - CLAUDIA CASTELLO
Claudia Castello was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and has lived in the US for the past 15 years. Her passion for documentaries led her to her first feature film as an editor, THE ACHIEVERS, THE STORY OF THE BIG LEBOWSKI FANS, which further sparked her interest for filmmaking. After earning her M.F.A. in Film Production at the University of Southern California in 2011, Claudia’s career took off.
BLACK PANTHER is Castello’s third feature film with director Ryan Coogler. Her close relationship with the filmmaker has led to a frequent collaboration that began with the Sundance Film Festival Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award-winning film, FRUITVALE STATION starring Michael B. Jordan, and the box office hit, CREED, starring Michael B. Jordan and Sylvester Stallone. Castello’s other feature film credits include the documentary ROXANNE, ROXANNE, an Official Selection at this year's Sundance Film Festival and Breakthrough Performance Award-Winner , THE FUNERAL GUEST, BREAKING THROUGH and BREAKING BROOKLYN.
Editor - STEPHEN BERGER
Stephen Berger is known for his creativity, storytelling and ability and desire to connect with the material he working with. Berger’s credits include Spike Jonze’s short film I’m Here and Herve de Crecy and Francois Alaux’s Logorama, which were two of the four short films chosen to open the 2010 Sundance Festival (Logorama went on to win the Best Animated Short Oscar that same year). His body of work also includes Cannes Lion, AICP Show and D&AD award-winning commercials and music videos. He’s worked with A- List directors such as Jonze, David Fincher, Spike Lee, Craig Gillespie, Noam Murro, Paul Hunter, Filip Engstrom and Reynald Gresset for brands like XBOX, Activision, EA, Samsung, Miller, Lincoln, BMW, Starbucks, Farmers, Intel, Sony, Disney and Verizon and artists like Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ludacris, Bob Dylan, Weezer, Kanye West and Pheonix.
Berger’s first documentary feature film The Nine won multiple awards on the festival circuit and was named one of MOMA’S 2016 “Five best films not playing at a theater near you”. End Of The Line is his 6th collaboration with director Jessica Sanders.
Costume Designer - SHIRLEY KURATA
Shirley Kurata is a costume designer and stylist based in Los Angeles working in TV, film, and fashion.
Re-Recording Mixer - ELMO WEBER
Elmo Weber is a post-production sound professional that lives and works in Los Angeles. During his twenty-seven year career, Elmo has worked as a Supervising Sound Editor, Sound Designer, and Re-recording mixer on films such as Baywatch (the movie), The Kids Are Alright, We’re The Millers, The Ides Of March, Horrible Bosses, and Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. He is best known for his long-time collaboration with Actor/Producer Adam Sandler, spanning 27 movies and 5 albums. Elmo has also enjoyed multi-film collaborations with directors Wim Wenders, Seth Gordon, Steven Brill, Michael Almereyda, and James Merendino.
As a fan of documentary film, Elmo has mixed many feature documentaries including: Buena Vista Social Club, One More Time With Feeling, After Innocence, and Academy Award winner: Undefeated.
PRODUCTION STILLS / BTS